– Consideration of Temporary Designation of Parking Spaces on Bonita and Highland Avenues as Permit A (School District Employee) Parking Spaces

Approval of the temporary use of designated public parking spaces by PUSD staff holding valid Permit A parking permits during the H-1 Bond related high school construction at one or more of the following locations:

1. 9 new parallel parking spaces along the Highland Avenue curve at the intersection of Highland and Sheridan Avenues.
2.  A new designation of the 11 existing unregulated diagonal parking spaces (and one (1) new diagonal parking space) on the west side of Bonita Avenue between Magnolia Avenue and Vista Avenue to include the following:

a)  Five (5) Permit A parking spaces for temporary use by PUSD staff.      b)  Three (3) City of Piedmont Employee parking spaces.  c)  Four (4) 2-hour parking spaces for general use by the public.

(Read the report > here.)

– Receipt of a Report on the 2017 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Implementation Status of the Climate Action Plan

This report provides information on the 2017 Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions inventory, including estimates for both community and municipal emissions. Piedmont staff completed the 2017 Municipal GHG Emissions Inventory in January of 2019.

(Read the 26-page report > here.)

The biggest sectors contributing to total municipal emissions (as opposed to private residential emissions) were transportation (48% of the total) and buildings and facilities (33% of the total).

The 2017 GHG emissions inventory reveals that Piedmont, in total, experienced a 2.9% increase in emissions from 2016. This increase applies to all sectors within the community and municipal functions, except for the community transportation sector, municipal vehicle fleet, City employee commute, and municipal street lights and traffic signals. The community decrease in transportation generated emissions may be a result of people consciously using alternative fuel vehicles, using more public transportation, and/or walking or biking more often.

– Consideration of a Project Specific Supplemental Agreement with Coastland Civil Engineers for Mapping of the City’s Storm Sewer System

Approval of the Project Supplemental Agreement with Coastland Engineers to provide professional engineering services for Phase One of the City-Wide Storm Sewer Mapping Project in an amount not- to-exceed $85,920.

(Read the staff report here.)

The Council meeting will be in City Hall starting at 7:30 p.m., open to the public, and viewable live on Cable Channel 27 and on the City website under City Council videos.

(Read the full agenda here.)

The City decided to extend the deadline for Heritage Tree nominations of noteworthy trees in our public open spaces from March 11 to March 18.

Who can nominate? Individuals and groups

What are the criteria? aesthetic, educational or historic value.

Submit the Heritage Tree Application 2019 no later than Monday, March 18^th at 5 pm to Nancy Kent, Parks and Project Manager via email at nkent@piedmont.ca.gov or in hard copy to: 120 Vista Avenue.

Nominations will be reviewed by a subcommittee composed of Park Commissioners and Public Works Staff.  The tree or group of trees selected for this year’s designation will be announced at the April 3, 2019 Park Commission meeting.

Click to read the policy regarding Designation of Heritage Trees on City Property.

Completed nomination forms should be returned to Nancy Kent, Parks and Project Manager via email at nkent@piedmont.ca.gov or in hard copy to: 120 Vista Avenue.

Questions should be directed to Ms. Kent at (510) 420-3064.

Read the original PCA > article

Sunday, March 24^th hourly 10 am – 2 pm

Piedmont Home Energy Tour address provided when you sign up (below) for a tour at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, or 1 pm.

Have you ever wanted to know where the drafts and dusty air in your home come from?

Join Piedmont Connect, the City of Piedmont, and Bay Area Energy Upgrade for a guided tour through a Piedmont home. Attendees will learn first- hand from a building science expert how a Home Energy Score is calculated.

At this FREE event you can:

• Find out where common air leaks and drafts are in the home
• Speak to a contractor about the best ways to address comfort issues at home
• See how issues can be diagnosed scientifically
• Get all of your questions answered about how to make your home more comfortable and efficient.
• Learn about Home Energy Score and speak to a local homeowner about why they decided to have it done for their home
• Find out about rebates of up to $5,000.

Please sign up > here.

In addition to learning how to become more energy efficient, there will also be refreshments and energy efficiency giveaways!

Dear Editor,

Since changing to Daylight Saving Time (DSL) last Sunday, media opinionators are talking about making it year-round.  Permanent DSL is a terrible, dangerous idea.  Setting the clocks ahead one hour moves an hour of morning light to the end of the day.  That’s great between March 21 and September 21, when there is more daylight than night.  But for the winter-half of the year, we need more light in the morning when kids are going to school.

Our children go to school at about the same time that commuters are starting their treks to work.  Darkness and early morning sun in commuters’ eyes create dangerous hazards.  Later in the day, schools end before most commuters return home, so evening darkness is not as dangerous.

As it is, Daylight Saving Time ends in November, nearly two months past the September 21 Equinox.  Shortening, not lengthening, the DST period would make mornings safer for our children and grandchildren.

Yours truly,

Bruce Joffe, Piedmont Resident

Piedmont Residents are Invited to Drop in 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to Learn Proper Technique for Use & Maintenance of  Fire Extinguishers

The Piedmont Fire Department is offering training on the care and use of fire extinguishers for Piedmont residents. The training will take place at the Fire Department, 120 Vista Avenue on Saturday, March 30. Residents can drop by between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sessions will take about 20 minutes and include the hands on use of extinguishers to put out fires.

There is no charge for the training.
Questions should be directed to Lt. Justin McNulty at 420-3030.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Dress Best For Less shares the origins of Dress Best for Less.

In 1982, Wendy [Webster] Willrich, along with Jeanne Clark and other mothers of Havens Elementary School children, started collecting clothing and household items to sell to the community in order to raise money for the schools. This was the genesis of what would later become Dress Best for Less.

The enterprise quickly outgrew the space at the school and decided to open the Dress Best for Less shop at its original location on Piedmont Avenue where the store remained for almost 3 decades until moving to its current location  at 3411 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. 

For 37 years (and counting), DBFL has raised funds for the Piedmont Education Foundation.  DBFL is the single largest contributor to PEF, with donations totaling over $1 million dollars.

In addition, DBFL is proud to contribute to the community at large, regularly donating to community groups in the East Bay and beyond, such as Bay Area schools, St. Vincent de Paul, animal rescue organizations, Oakland Children’s Hospital and more.

To this day, Dress Best for Less remains a woman-run organization. The bulk of the DBFL team are volunteers, most of whom are mothers of current and former Piedmont School children.  DBFL is living proof of what a few dedicated and driven woman can accomplish.

Donations are always needed.

Marking Room:
799 Magnolia Avenue,
Piedmont, CA 94611
Phone – 510-653-0221
Monday – 10:00am – noon
Tuesday – 9am – 4pm
Wednesday – 9am – 4pm
Saturday – 10am – noon

The Premier Plant Exchange in California is 100% volunteer run!

Master gardeners answer questions and plant specialists identify donations.

Free to everyone.

Saturday, March 23rd, noon to 4 p.m.

4500 Lincoln Ave. in Oakland

The Plant Exchange is a free community event that began in Oakland, California in October 2007 as a way for our neighbors to get to know each other. It also encourages reuse, recycling, organic living, resource sharing, and information exchange.

This event rapidly grew to include gardeners, landscapers, urban farmers, and outdoor fans from all 9 Bay Area counties.  Now, over 2500 plants change hands.

Questions or volunteer at connect@theplantexchange.com

Read for more information > here.

Deadline for proposals: Tuesday, March, 19, 2019

At the Capital Improvements Project Review Committee (CIP) meeting a request concerning City funding for better court surfaces at Piedmont Middle School (PMS) was made by Rick Schiller, Pickleball enthusiast.

At their March 5, 2019 meeting, the City Council appeared positive concerning new asphalt at PMS. The Tennis/Pickleball sub-committee report contains the specific recommendation for Pickleball.  Sub-committee Chair Steve Roland spoke in support for City funding of new asphalt and Pete Palmer, in charge of Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) facilities, stated PUSD has no issue with this,  but the School District has no funds to pay for resurfacing of the courts.

“While bids are not finalized, about $60,000 gets us a new asphalt surface – no cracks! – with new poles.  About another $85,000-$90,000 gets a tennis court quality overlay. The three courts at each of the three PMS venues are too cramped and the best option is likely striping two Pickleball courts parallel to the three badminton courts, if that can be worked out. The green on white striping at Oakland’s Bushrod courts works well.”  Rick Schiller

Traditionally past projects approved by CIP have had partial private funding.

The Eight month trial at Hampton and Linda-Beach Courts will have a neighbor survey in 4 weeks from the start of Pickleball usage.